Jesus at Work

“I was born about 20 years after the end of the Great Depression, but my parents and grandparents lived like it never ended. From an early age, I perceived this “depression mentality” and was sure that my parents and grandparents barely got by. They were by no means wealthy, but they weren’t just scraping by. They simply lived frugally. Most of their friends and peers had newer and nicer cars, bigger and fancier houses, and many more possessions. By these worldly metrics of success and prosperity, we didn’t have the things that mattered. I incorrectly concluded that my parents and grandparents had to be poor. 

In retrospect, our family was probably happier than most. We enjoyed life, we worked together, and we supported each other. All of my friends liked my parents and our family a lot, and our house was always the place they wanted to be, but I was fixated on money and our shortage of worldly “stuff.” I was sure my parents were struggling financially and needed my help, so at an early age I vowed to help them by supporting myself and never being a burden.  

At age 5, we moved to a new neighborhood where many homes were being built. I went to construction sites almost every day to pick up discarded soda bottles which I redeemed for a deposit. I got about $1.50 for a wagon load of bottles, which is worth around $20 today. I had my own bank account that I added to regularly. Having money felt good. From that point on, I always had some kind of job or way to earn money.  

I saved most of what I earned, only spent on important things like tools and car parts, and was even able to sneak some cash into my Mom’s purse. I paid cash for a car when I was 16, and paid for my insurance and all my vehicle expenses from that time forward. I purchased many of my own clothes and paid for most of my other personal expenses. Helping my parents and siblings fulfilled my desire to not be a burden, which was timely since my Dad had just started his own business and money was tight for a while. I attributed my success solely to my efforts and was blind to the Lord’s providence of putting jobs and incredible opportunities in my path over and over again. Satan, through money, had quite a grip on me. 

In college, I never incurred debt and earned more each year than my college tuition and personal expenses. I had a growing bank account, investments, a truck, and several other cars. My life revolved around the world’s metrics of success, and compared to my peers, I was way ahead! I believed in God, but I was doing great on my own. I didn’t see a place for him in my life.   

I met Liz the first week of our senior year at Texas A&M. As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the girl I would marry. Meeting her, of course, was a God thing, but at the time I was oblivious to his work in my life. Liz didn’t have a car. She wore hand-me-down clothes and didn’t have money or a lot of things, yet she was always happy and content. How could that be? She got up every Sunday morning and walked across campus to church. Why, when Sunday was often the only day of the week to catch up on sleep? Her family had a modest house and modest cars, which didn’t rank high on the world’s scale of success, yet their house was full of love and happiness. They were totally content and grateful to God, and worshiped him every Sunday. It didn’t add up. Another thing that didn’t add up was this unique and powerful love, goodness, and contentment that Liz and her family shared with each other; it gave them a level of peace and joy I couldn’t fathom. I didn’t know what it was or where it came from, but I wanted it in my life.  

Despite my mixed-up values and metrics, Liz married me (another God thing). She continued going to church every Sunday without me. We already had a two-year-old and four-year-old when our twins were born. Liz was determined to take all four kids to church as soon as she could, with or without me. She needed help, so I went. Worship, sadly, lacked joy and did nothing for me. I was a fish out of water in Bible study, but over time Scripture started to become real and applicable to daily life. I distinctly remember the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10, and learning that God’s salvation is for everyone, including me. That’s when I chose to follow Christ, and was saved by the work of the Holy Spirit. I realized then, for the first time, that God specifically sent Liz to point me to the gospel and show me true faith, love, and perseverance. Things in life started to make sense. 

One day I met with Tom, one of our pastors. He had been encouraging me a lot and helping me grow in my faith. Our business had been improving and I had questions about giving. I was sure there were special church rules and ways to go about it, but Tom explained there were no rules; giving is simply a personal decision to trust and honor God. He explained the Old Testament tithe of 10%, and New Testament gifts and offerings of greater generosity, but suggested I start by giving 5% of my net income. This seemed like a huge step, but Tom assured me that within six months I would want to give more. He promised to put my gifts in a dedicated account, and return them with interest at the end of the six months if I was unhappy. Tom had incredible faith and I trusted him. Even though giving 5% of our net income seemed overwhelming, with Liz’s encouragement and Tom’s money-back offer, I decided to give it a try.             

Tom was right. Giving quickly became a true joy. We increased from 5% of net to 5% of gross, then to 10% of gross income within six months.  We also gave a large gift to Liz’s home church where we got married, and somehow we had more money left over at the end of that year. We were still happy and still had all the money we needed. We went to church as a family every Sunday, and still had plenty of time for other things. By my old metrics we had less, but we actually had more—a lot more. More money, more time, more peace, and more joy. I experienced all this but couldn’t explain it. This is how things work in God’s economy; I simply needed to believe and trust in his providence and wisdom.

God took an empty, money-fixated person and showed me the joy of following Jesus, of growing in his Word, and being generous. It didn’t happen overnight. The first thing he taught me was a hard lesson: everything I have is his, not mine. With that understanding, my heart opened. He taught me to  re-prioritize my money, resources, time, and talent toward his kingdom, for his glory and honor. After many decades, I was finally free from the bondage of money.      

I still love to give, especially when our income is constrained and we are tempted to cut back. God always provides, especially when we stick our necks out financially for him. We cannot out-give God.  Our tithe is for the local church; 10% of our gross income goes to Risen. Our offerings are any additional giving to special ministries or Christian initiatives, both at Risen and elsewhere. Malachi 3 says to bring forth our full tithes and offerings. It also says to test God in our giving, and see how he will bless our faithfulness. I didn’t read Malachi 3 until a year or more after I began giving, but I can testify to the peace, joy, and blessings he delivers because of sacrificial giving. This scripture is 100% accurate and real. God delivers on his promises. Test him. You’ll see!    

Learning how to trust God and choose generosity was not easy, especially after living decades without him. I’m glad I put my trust in him and got to personally experience the blessings God promised in Malachi, and much more. God’s rescue began the day I met Liz, and I’m grateful the Lord opened my heart while our children were still very young. Thankfully, they never saw how money (and Satan) had a firm grip on me. I wish my parents had known more about being faithful with their finances and giving, and had been able to teach me; it would have saved me a lot of grief. We made sure to teach our children how to honor God with what he’s entrusted to them. I encourage every reader to teach and model these principles for their children and grandchildren, preferably when they are young.  

No matter where you are on your journey with the Lord, I encourage you to step out further in faith. If you are not giving, maybe begin with small steps like I did. Over time, increase your tithe and continue with offerings. Rinse, lather, and repeat. The joy of giving and the promise of abundant blessings never end in God’s economy.”